I ran to the door to open it. When I did, Arlo was standing there, his face souring the moment he saw me. I couldn’t tell if he was disgusted or scared because he was staring at me intensely.
“Who are you?” he asked sternly.
“I’m June, sir. Who are you, and why are you staring at me like that? Do I have dirt on my face, or are you starstruck by my beauty?” I replied, feigning innocence.
His brows furrowed in irritation.
“What did you just say? Do you even know what you’re talking about? Woman, answer my question! How did you get into my apartment? Are you a thief?”
“I’m not a thief! I’m Sir Arlo’s new housemaid. And who might you be?” I asked, pretending to be clueless to stay in character for my mission.
He smirked bitterly, his thick brows meeting in the middle. I caught myself staring at his lips, swallowing hard as I noticed his Adam’s apple move.
“Are you going to let me in, or not, Rita?” His voice boomed so loudly it almost made me deaf.
“Sir Arlo,” Rita called out, coming to my rescue.
“Sorry, Sir, I didn’t realize you were the boss. Please come in,” I said politely.
“Are you trying to annoy me? Rita, is this the niece you mentioned?” he asked coldly.
“Yes, Sir. I couldn’t find anyone else to replace me, and it’s hard to trust people nowadays with all the scams going around,” Rita replied.
I bowed my head, silently listening to their conversation.
“My niece is kind and capable, Sir. She can handle anything you ask her to do. Please give her a chance; she’s working hard to save money to fix her face,” Rita said, glancing at me. Arlo looked at me too, his expression unreadable. I held back my laughter at Rita’s comment.
“Fine, Rita. Even though I don’t trust your niece’s face, I’ll give her a chance because Dad trusts you,” Arlo said, sighing heavily.
He went upstairs to his room and came back a moment later, holding a brown envelope.
“I’ll have dinner out, so there’s no need to cook for me,” he said curtly before leaving with Rita.
As soon as they left, I exhaled deeply, finally able to relax. I could still feel the warmth of his breath on my face. I wanted to rush to him and embrace him tightly, but I held myself back.
“I hope you can forgive me, Arlo, when your memories of me return,” I whispered to myself.
I slapped my forehead, realizing I had almost forgotten to call my mom. I hurried to my room and quickly removed my fake teeth and the mole by my eye, worried my twins might get scared if they saw me like that.
When I dialed my mom’s number, she answered right away. She told me the twins were outside with my dad. I didn’t tell her much, as it was only my first day at Arlo’s apartment.
After our conversation, I unpacked my things and took out my laptop. I wouldn’t be going to the office for now; Caroline would email me the important files, and my cousin would handle the company in my absence.
Later, I stepped out of my room. With nothing to do, I decided to explore Arlo’s apartment. Eventually, I found myself upstairs in his bedroom.
The familiar scent of his cologne filled the air, and I closed my eyes, taking it in. He was still using the same fragrance—it hadn’t changed.
I opened his closet and smelled his clothes. After that, I checked his drawer and found a white envelope. Out of curiosity, I opened it to see its contents. I didn’t think it was wrong to snoop a little.
Inside, I found a picture of Arlo and Valerie. The sight of it made me feel like I was being strangled. I wanted to tear the photo apart but couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Then I saw another photo of Valerie kissing Arlo on the cheek. It felt like a knife had stabbed my heart.
The pain was unbearable. If I hadn’t left Arlo, he wouldn’t have ended up in another woman’s hands. Maybe we’d still be together now.
Perhaps there’s still a chance for us. Maybe things could change between him and Valerie if he remembers me. There’s still time for us to fix what was broken. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to bring him back to me.
